Two Latvian nationals who live in the United Kingdom were arrested after being found inside RAF Molesworth, a military base in Cambridgeshire, England, that houses US and NATO intelligence operations, according to reports citing police statements. The men, aged 32 and 36, were located around 2 a.m. on Thursday, 8 October, and remain in custody. Counter Terrorism Policing is investigating.
According to the accounts, Ministry of Defence Police officers on patrol raised the alarm around 10 p.m. on Wednesday after finding an abandoned vehicle near the perimeter. Bomb disposal specialists cleared the vehicle. Armed officers then found a small breach in the perimeter fence and located the men inside the base, with Cambridgeshire Police helping to search the site.
The men were first arrested on suspicion of trespass on a prohibited site and criminal damage. They were then arrested under Section 4 of the National Security Act 2023, which covers entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the UK. Counter-terrorism detectives are searching two residential properties in the Peterborough area. The sources do not say what the men are alleged to have intended, and no charges were reported.
RAF Molesworth is a non-flying installation managed by the US Air Force's 423rd Air Base Group. It houses intelligence elements for US European Command, US Africa Command and the NATO Intelligence Fusion Centre. Fox News reported that the base is undergoing a $556.5 million expansion centred on the Joint Intelligence Analysis Complex, which broke ground on 12 April 2024 and is due for completion in summer 2028. Fox News and a 2024 Defense Department release describe it as consolidating 20 facilities and more than 1,000 Defense Intelligence Agency personnel. RedState cited a figure of roughly 1,700 personnel, a discrepancy between the reports.
The incident follows an event at RAF Fairford on 27 September, when, according to RedState, eight men were arrested and most have since been released on bail. Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said investigators are aware of the "heightened interest and concern around military sites" but that "at this stage there is nothing to suggest this incident is connected to the events at RAF Fairford last week." Fox News reported that US European Command praised the swift British response.
The suspects' names and motives were not available in the sources, and it was not stated how long they may be held.
